


A New Home

by PrettyBlueColors



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Blood and Injury, Broken Bones, Bruises, Concussions, Eddie was Hamid's best friend, Ex-Navy Medic Zolf, Ex-Prince Hamid, Exiled Royal AU, Gen, Hamid Has a Bad Time, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, It Gets Better, Minor Character Death, Trans Hamid, Trans Male Character, Zolf lives in a cabin in the woods, and the college stunt, but i lost steam and this was a good spot to stop, it was going to be zolf/hamid, just referencing Aziza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:35:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24548488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyBlueColors/pseuds/PrettyBlueColors
Summary: Zolf stilled, there was something further along that didn’t belong.A purple lump at the base of a tree on the edge of the clearing“Fuck.” Zolf made his way over carefully to inspect the shape.A halfling.A halfling wearing the royal colors as well.“Fuck.”
Relationships: Aziza al-Tahan & Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan, Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan & Edward Keystone, Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan & Zolf Smith
Kudos: 26





	A New Home

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a Royalty au prompt and ran with it, sorry not sorry.

“You are hereby condemned, exiled from this kingdom, stripped of your title for crimes against the kingdom.”

Hamid fell to his knees as a sob ripped out of his throat, they didn’t understand. It wasn’t his fault!

He tried to plead with his father, tried to explain what really happened, but his father wouldn’t listen to him. 

Hamid searched the crowd with watery eyes to try and find any friendly faces, but all he saw was Gideon.

Gideon, the one who caused all of this, the one who was making Hamid be forced from his home, his life.

Hamid shouted in anguish and lunged at Gideon, intent to rip the man’s throat out, and was immediately tackled to the ground when he could look up once more Gideon was gone.

“I will grant you one hour to gather your things. Be quick, I do not want you here any longer than necessary.” Saleh Sr. turned and walked out of the throne room.    
Hamid sobbed openly now, the guards removed themselves from his back and hauled Hamid to his feet,” Come along. Best do as commanded.”

Hamid was led back to his chambers and closed inside so he could collect the things he would bring with him in exile.

Hamid grabbed a bag and slowly began to fill it with clothes; mechanically he grabbed things he thought he would need.

A small dagger he still wasn’t sure how to use, but he knew he would need.

His allowance coin purse, there wasn’t much inside but he was sure it might last him some time.

A small book of poetry, to pass the time.

A necklace in the shape of a dragon curled protectively around a small green gemstone.

Hamid picked it up carefully, it was the last thing Aziza gave him before she left on her trip and was murdered.

Hamid clasped it around his neck with a sniffle and clutched it in one hand as he fastened his cloak and grabbed his bag.

Hamid knocked on the door to let his guards know he was ready to leave and took a deep steadying breath.

  
  


The carriage slowed to a stop almost two towns away from the capital city and Hamid knew this was it, this is where he would be abandoned.

He gathered his bag and stood on shaky legs as the door opened.

The guard that faced him was a childhood friend and was his personal guard when he could finally apply for it.

“Alright, Hamid, here we are. Well sorry to see you go.”

Hamid knew he was telling the truth, Eddie rarely lied and never lied well and got out of the carriage with a watery smile. Eddie handed Hamid a small bag tied closed at the top,” Some food. I know you get well distracted and don’t eat if I don’t remind you. So, um, yeah.” Eddie stepped back and bit his lip in an attempt to keep the tears from spilling. He hesitated for a moment before throwing his arms around Hamid, giving his friend one last hug, before he pulled himself back up onto the carriage,” Bye, Hamid...” 

Hamid stepped away to the side of the road to allow the vehicle room to turn and leave him; he just watched as the last connection to his old life left him behind.

Hamid tried to hold back the tears that threatened to escape once more and turned away from his home and started to walk, tears fell silently on his cheeks.

He walked until well into the night, not a soul to be seen in hours, exhausted and cold.

He stepped to the side of the road and curled up at the base of a tree; wrapped in his cloak he settled in for a long sleepless night as the wind carried a chilling howl to his ears.

Morning came without sleep, just as Hamid had expected, and his stomach growled as he cursed himself for not packing food.

He stood and leaned on the trunk of the tree to stretch his back, it was tight and knotted from the strain of keeping tense all night, but there was nothing he could do about that but hope moving around helps.

Hamid stifled a yawn in his sleeve and rubbed his eyes.

“Off I go, I suppose. Maybe I’ll find someone today.” Hamid sighed and he started to walk once more, quietly humming to himself and kicked the ground every few steps.

He kicked a larger stone and stubbed his toe quite bad and started to hop on one-foot cursing himself; then it got worse.

The ground fell out from under him.

Hamid screamed as he rolled down the slope, the trees blurred past him and he bounced between boulders.

He felt something snap in his arm and his ribs before his head smacked into a tree and the world went black.

  
  
  


Zolf stepped carefully through the foliage to check his rabbit snares.

He managed to catch a few and reset his traps before he gave the trees a sweeping glance.

Zolf stilled, there was something further along that didn’t belong.

A purple lump at the base of a tree on the edge of the clearing.

“Fuck.” Zolf made his way over carefully to inspect the shape.

A halfling.

A halfling wearing the royal colors as well.

“Fuck.” 

Zolf took a step back as his leg throbbed.

He cursed again and made his way over to the body, the least he could do is check if they were still alive. Then he could take it from there.

He gently turned the body over and set his eyes on the halfling’s blood-stained face and grimaced, a concussion at best.

Zolf pulled the cloak away from where it tangled around the body to check for breath and let out a sigh of relief as he found the sign of life; it turned into a groan of sympathy when he noticed one of the arms bent at an awkward angle.

“Right then. Suppose I’m taking you back with me then,  _ your Majesty _ ?” Zolf sighed again and ran his hands down the body to check for more injuries and was not happy to find what felt like broken ribs.

“Right. You’re going to be a right bastard to carry back then?” Zolf knelt carefully onto his good knee and slid his arms under the head and knees of the halfling and forced himself back up, the halfling limp in his arms, and started the trek back to his cabin.

  
  


Zolf laid the halfling in his bed carefully and worked on removing the outermost layers from his guest, and he folded them on a nearby chair and started to clean the other’s wounds and set the bones as best as he could, which was still pretty damn good him being a medic for the royal navy before he lost his leg.

Zolf gently manipulated the halfling out of his shirt, careful to unclasp the necklace and set it aside first, to better tend the ribs.

Under thin pale scars was a mass of green and purple bruising that spread all down his side to where he goes soft at the side, blood speckled the skin from scrapes that had managed to happen through the cloth of his shirt.

Zolf sucked a breath through his teeth,” How far did you fall from, the bloody sky?” He shook his head and went for a cloth and a bowl to fill with water to properly clean the other up with.

He had to briefly step outside to the small well for the water, but his patient hadn’t moved; if he hadn’t known the other was alive he would have thought him dead.

Zolf sighed again and set to wipe the blood and dirt from the halfling’s skin.

There were a few hours early into Zolf’s vigil that the halfling almost seemed to wake, but he only was aware enough to drink some broth and mumble nonsense before he passed back out.

Finally, after about five hours, the halfling’s eyes opened and he croaked out a thin moan that startled Zolf out of the daze he had settled into.

Zolf hefted himself onto his feet and went to the bedside,” Don’t move. You took quite a fall.” Zolf carefully brought a small cup of water to the bed and rested a hand behind the halfling’s neck to assist,” Drink slow, I’m sure you’re not feeling too well right now and too much water will make it worse.”

The halfling followed the instruction, eyes still glazed with pain as he took slow sips and careful swallows.

He cleared his throat to speak,” T-thank you.” He coughed briefly and curled around himself against the pain.

Zolf quickly set the cup aside,” Easy now, that’s it.” He rested a hand on the halfling’s shoulder and gently guided him back to lying supine upon the bed to avoid further aggravating his wounds.

“Now. Is there a name I can call you? Or do I have to keep referring to you as my halfling guest?” Zolf crossed his arms and looked down at the bedridden other.

“Hamid. I’m just Hamid now I suppose.” Hamid’s face fell and he raised an arm to grasp at the base of his throat.

“W-Where is my necklace? P-please, tell me you have it.” Hamid’s face flew to fear at the thought of having lost it.

Zolf stepped away from the bed for a moment and came back with the slim gold chain in his hand,” Yes, I ‘ave it. No bandits found you first I don’t think so anyway.” Zolf leaned over the bed and raised the necklace in a questioning way,” Do you want me to put it back? Only took it off to clean you up, just forgot to replace it I guess.”

Hamid relaxed fractionally,” Yes, please.” He was glad to not have lost it in his fall.

He lifted his head enough that Zolf could wrap the chain around and clasp it.

“I’ve got some salve for the pain, didn’t want to go rubbing it on you without you saying I could. ‘Course I would have if you were worse off, but I was almost sure you would wake soon enough.” Zolf trailed off as he walked back to his cabinets to rummage through it for the said salve and upon finding it he turned back to face Hamid who was watching him with a puzzled expression,” What? There something in my beard?” He frowned and raised his free hand to run his fingers over the loose braid.

“What? No.” Hamid shook his head,” I was just thinking about how kind you are being for having found me likely smashed to bits at the bottom of a hill.” Hamid gestured down at himself with the arm in the splint at his colorful side. 

“Well, I don’t know what you were doing all the way out here, Your  _ Highness,  _ but I’m sure it would be considered treason not to put you back together.” Zolf huffed and gestured to the pile of ripped clothing on the floor by the bed with the hand holding the salve before he turned his gaze back to the halfling occupying his bed.

Hamid flinched bodily at the honorific and a tear slipped from his eye as he averted his own gaze to his hands in his lap. “ Is it treason to not tend to a common person? I do not think as much, especially since my father disowned me, that is all I am now.” 

  
  
  


“Right… Well. Not sure what to say to that. Um, sorry?” Zolf raised an eyebrow cautiously as he offered the salve once more and moved to apply it and Hamid’s silent nod.

Zolf ran a careful hand down Hamid’s side to trace the bruising before gathering the paste on thick fingertips and spread it gently across the splotched skin.

Hamid sucked a breath sharp breath through his teeth as he watched Zolf’s careful application cover the bruises in a thin green paste.

“There. It should only take a few minutes to start working.” Zolf stood back up with a grunt and reached for a small towel to wipe his hand off on. 

Zolf smiled quickly as he cleaned his hands,” You’ll be on your feet in no time.”

**Author's Note:**

> Want to join my  RQG 18+ Server  ? Click the link to join the discord!
> 
> Find me on tumblr at phantomwinds!


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